by Holly Horton
A look at late opera singer, Tynes, a Saluda native
Middlesex County native, Margaret Elinor Tynes (1919-2024), was an American opera singer who gained world-wide fame and recognition for her beautiful soprano voice.
Born in Saluda, on Sept. 11, 1919, she was one of the 10 children of Morris Tynes, a Baptist minister, and his wife Lucy (née Rich). Her mother played the piano and inspired her daughter’s love of music. Her family was involved with the leadership at Northern Neck Industrial Academy as teachers. They moved to Greensboro, N.C., where Margaret spent the bulk of her childhood.
In 1939 Tynes obtained a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. She then continued her studies in voice at the Juilliard School in New York City and received a master’s degree in music education from Columbia University in 1944 after transferring there.
Following her studies, she went on to become a leading soprano in the world performing at many of the world’s greatest opera houses. Margaret’s roles she was best known for included: Lady Macbeth, Aida, Norma, Tosca, Carmen, Salome, Liu in “Turandot”, Leonora in “La Forza del Destino,” Desdemona in “Othello.” She was acclaimed as a full-throated voice, earning high praise on the continent — “an exceptional voice, intense in every coloring, vibrant and dramatic.”
She performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Prague State Opera, Budapest Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. She also performed behind the Iron Curtain when she went to Russia with Ed Sullivan for the United States Department.
Other highlights included performing “Amahl and the Night Visitors” on NBC. She sang on Broadway in “Lysistrata” with Sidney Poitier and in Finian’s “Rainbow.”
Margaret portrayed Bess in “Porgy and Bess” at the New York City Opera for six years.
Two exhibits currently are currently installed celebrating her life at both the Middlesex County Museum and the Middlesex County Public Library in Urbanna. Touring memorabilia and photography of her elaborate costumes are included. There are also QR codes included to be able to listen to her sing.
The Middlesex County Museum is open Wednesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. Visit yourmiddlesexlibrary.org for the scheduled open times of the Middlesex County Public Library in Urbanna.
(Holly Horton is the director of the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society. Email her at director@middlesexmuseum.org.)
